Tag: Job

How To Be More Successful In Your Job Search

Two key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Professional Development and Skills. Searching for a job can be one of the more difficult things you can ever do. There are keys to increasing your chances of finding the job (s) you want. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Be More Successful In Your Job Search.

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Going back into the world of recruitment can be a process and so much so that many of us will remain in a job we’ve lost a passion for. The idea of going through the process that involves securing a job can be tiring to just think about, but it has to be done when you are no longer feeling the role is for you. Here are some tips on how to be more successful in your job search.

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Look Again At Your Resume

Your resume carries a lot of weight when it comes to the very beginning of your application. A job can have many individuals who will apply, and it’s usually someone’s job to filter through the resumes. It’s important that yours stands out, and you may find that the current state of it can be improved. Take a look at your resume again and try to make improvements where possible. It could be that there are a few grammatical errors that need fixing or that you’ve missed out some skills that are vital for the role that you’re applying for. Try to do what you can to sell yourself in the best way, and hopefully, you’ll secure yourself an interview.

Seek Professional Guidance

There are a lot of resources and avenues that you can explore and take advantage of in order to give yourself the best opportunities. Nowadays, you have plenty of websites like Cornerstone Medical who will help in doing a lot of the work for you. By grouping all types of jobs under one website, it makes for much easier navigation. When you’re exploring a new career path, it’s good to seek professional advice and guidance where you can. Those who are in the current role you’re applying for or have done it previously can let you know what was needed or what can be done to improve your chances.

Be Detailed In Your Applications

Applications are where it really counts, and although resumes are important to work on, the application as a whole needs detail. Sometimes you may be required to write a cover letter or answer some initial questions as part of the vetting process. These may be put in place to weed out individuals who are simply not right for the role or don’t have the experience to answer such questions.

Work On Your Interview Technique

Interviews can be a very nerve-racking process, but they are what’s standing between you and the potential job offer. If you find that your interview technique needs improving or sometimes you lack confidence in what you’re trying to get across, practice. Practice makes perfect after all, and if you can give yourself plenty of prep time, then you are likely to walk into that interview, feeling more confident.

Not every role that you apply for is something you’ll suit, and sometimes the company is not the right fit for you. Be detailed in your application process, ask for help, and always work on your conversational skills to give yourself the best chance.

Staying Safe When You Have A Dangerous Job

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Two key focuses are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. Not all jobs have the safety of working in an office setting with carpets, computers and cubicles. Some jobs require getting dirty and some degree of potential hazard. In the latter set of jobs, it’s important to think about your safety at all times. The following contributed post is entitled, Staying Safe When You Have A Dangerous Job.

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No one likes the idea of being hurt when they are doing their job. Governments, businesses, and individuals have all been working for a very long time to ensure that workplaces are safe and secure, though this is something which some jobs make almost impossible. Unfortunately, some people simply don’t have the luxury of doing something safe each day. Whether you work as an industrial diver or as a security guard, though, you can always take steps to make sure that you’re not putting yourself at unnecessary risk. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the steps which can be taken to make even the most dangerous jobs a little safer.

Following Policies

While a lot of the rules which you have to follow when you’re working may seem a little over the top, they are always there for a reason. Safety gear will protect your body from accidents, while policies which dictate how people are allowed to move around in dangerous environments will help to prevent them from happening in the first place, and this makes these rules well worth following. Of course, after a few years on the job, it will be easy to become complacent, and you may find that your employers have lost track of the policies they need to follow. In this case, researching the rules for yourself will be a good idea.

Working Together

Many of the world’s most dangerous jobs often end up being done by people on their own. This may not always increase the risk of an accident, but there are some roles which simply shouldn’t be done by people who are left to themselves. Truck driving is a great example of this, with a lot of accidents occurring when people are forced to drive for a long time without a proper chance to rest. Team truck driving jobs are considered much safer, as you will have someone with you as you drive, and this means that you won’t have to be focused for the whole journey.

Being Attentive

It’s not always easy for industries to put the right rules in place for their employees. While some companies manage to keep their teams safe, others will miss out on crucial areas, and this can often leave big gaps. Being attentive will give you the chance to spot these areas, and a little bit of creativity and initiative will help you to come up with ideas to make them safer. For example, if you have to work on wet floors all the time, it would make sense for your employer to provide you with shoes which are good for this environment. They can’t fire you for asking for this, with a lot of employers valuing this sort of input from their teams.

Keeping yourself safe should always be your priority when you’re at work. It doesn’t matter if you get your job done if you get hurt in the process, and the vast majority of employers will want to keep their team as safe as possible. To make this work, though, you have to keep your eyes open.

Don’t Put Your Job Before Your Health

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. A significant portion of the lives of employees is spent at their jobs, such that their jobs can almost become the basis for their lives. As such they can have adverse effects on the employee’s personal health. There must thus be a balance. The following contributed post is entitled, Don’t Put Your Job Before Your Health.

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Pixabay. CCO Licensed.

Many of us work hard so that we may be able to enjoy a better quality of life. However, hard work can have the opposite effect and it can make our quality of life worse by damaging our health. Here are several ways in which you should you be putting your health first.

Don’t put off seeing a doctor

Many of us don’t take time off work to see a doctor. This can cause health concerns to get gradually worse. Whether you’ve got an employer or you happen to be your own boss, there’s no excuse not to see a doctor. You can schedule an appointment with a primary care doctor in advance allowing you to time to make arrangements or you can look into out-of-hours services. There are even doctors that you can call out to your workplace.

Pay attention to health and safety

Health and safety in the workplace is important. Make sure that you’re wearing the right equipment to protect yourself against injuries and follow safety protocols to minimize further injuries. If you’re self-employed, it’s your job to implement these health and safety measures. Consider talking to a health and safety adviser who can help you to introduce health and safety measures into your business.

Protect against RSIs

RSIs (repetitive strain injuries) often get overlooked because they’re long-term. However, these injuries are just as important to avoid, so that your quality of life isn’t negatively affected later on. If your job involves a repeated action such as typing, make sure that your posture and hand position is right as you type to avoid strain (ideally, your wrist should be the same level as your keyboard). Using specific equipment may also help to prevent RSIs in certain cases. For instance, power tools that don’t vibrate as much are less likely to lead to RSIs.

Know when to take a break

Everybody needs a break now and again. If you’ve recently sustained an injury, taking a break from work could be essential for helping it to heal, especially if certain job tasks are likely to aggravate the injury. Taking a break could also be important if you’re experiencing a lot of stress at work. As well as causing mental health problems, stress can take its toll on your physical health leading to high blood pressure and fatigue. In fact, stress is thought to be a leading cause of heart attacks. A break could not just allow you a chance to destress, but it could help you gain perspective as to whether your job is worth the stress.

A full-time income on part-time hours revisited part one: An exciting business opportunity for you!

“Remember to keep an open mind and get some new information!”

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. I originally published this series back in November of 2013 when I wrote for the Examiner. Of the businesses that the average working-class person can get involved in, none are more controversial than “Multi-Level Network Marketing” businesses (MLMs). I bought into a MLM when I first started my federal career which was a learning experience. It sounded like a good idea at the time but didn’t go quite as planned. This series talks about what I both experienced and learned during that little experiment.

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This next series of articles will veer off the path of scholastic education and literacy, and venture into the world of financial literacy. This series will look at Multi-Level Network Marketing businesses (MLMs). It’s an subject area rarely explored in print, but one which we’ve all experienced through personal participation, being recruited or being sold a product or service by someone else.

These business models and the people involved with them are already highly scrutinized, thus the intent of this series is not to do more of the same. The goal will be to simply take an objective look at them from multiple perspectives: the business associate, their prospects, friends, relatives and coworkers. As a writer, my goal will be to be fair in my commentary.

This topic will potentially touch multiple people. It’s particularly relevant in this era of recessions, further potential government shutdowns and sequestrations where people are being forced to consider alternative ways of earning income. Again, the goal here is not to sway anyone to a particular side, but simply to educate readers curious enough to read this series.

“Hey man, I want to talk to you. I’ve been watching you. You look like a serious brother, and I have a business opportunity to turn you onto,” a bus driver told me at the beginning of my commute one morning. “I don’t want to drive this bus forever, and I want to make some real money! Take this brochure and if you text me your number, I’ll invite to one of our meetings so you can get some more information!”

I could hear some contempt in his voice, particularly about having to work his job which was interesting. It raised a couple of questions in my mind. Why would someone feel contempt about working their job? Why would someone feel contempt about working a job? Why would someone feel resentful about having a paycheck? Many would say that there’s dignity in working. We’ll revisit this later in one of the subsequent parts of this series.

Besides being surprised that one of the metro bus drivers ‘prospected’ me for recruitment into his business, it brought back memories of my own experiment with Multi-Level Network Marketing. Just briefly, Multi-level Marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of the other salespeople they recruit.

What made this bus driver prospect me? And what made him consider me a “serious brother?” It could’ve been my regular ridership on his route most mornings. Perhaps it was my “serious” appearance and disposition that made me seem like someone who could effectively work in his business and help he and his colleagues achieve their financial and life dreams.

My thoughts reflected to the many network marketers encountered during my travels in person and on social media, and what their motivations were. My motivations at one time for participating in one were: becoming rich, taking advantage of business tax breaks, and being able to walk away from my job.

Since 2005, multiple opportunities have come across my path. The first was from an Indian man in his late 20s in a supermarket late one night just before I moved away from Michigan. After striking up a friendly conversation with me about my life and aspirations, he started talking about an ecommerce business he was involved in. He encouraged me to learn more about it and to, “keep an open mind and get some information,” common phrases used by prospectors. Have you ever experienced anything like this?

Since then there have been numerous offers to participate in businesses involved in ecommerce, financial counseling, travel services, weight loss/health products, legal advice, organic coffee, and health care services. The list goes on. You name it, and someone has gotten it covered.

At their informational meetings, most if not all the network marketing businesses had elaborate presentations, and marketed dreams of:

• Financial independence;
• Making multiple residual passive income streams;
• Walking away from 9-5 jobs;
• Taking vacations whenever desired;
• Making your own schedule and;
• Making a full-time income on part-time hours.

This topic will be examined in greater detail in the subsequent articles. People’s motivation for joining this type of enterprise will be examined in part two of this series.

Thank you for reading this blog post. If you enjoyed this piece, you might also enjoy:

• Are you getting your Matching Contribution? A discussion on saving for retirement
• A look at the Law of Compounding Interest and why you should care
• Your Net Worth, your Gross Salary, and what they mean
• Is there power in budgeting your money
• I still don’t have a car in 2018: A story about playing financial chess
• We should’ve bought Facebook and Bitcoin stock: An investing story

If you’ve found value here and think it would benefit others, please share it and or leave comments. To receive all the most up to date content from the Big Words Blog Site, subscribe using the box in the right-hand column in this post and throughout the site, or add the link to my RSS feed to your feedreader. Please visit my YouTube channel entitled, Big Discussions76. Lastly follow me on Twitter at @BWArePowerful, on the Big Words Blog Site Facebook page, and on Instagram at @anwaryusef76. While my main areas of focus are Education, STEM, and Financial Literacy, there other blogs/sites I endorse which found on that particular page of my site.

Tips that will Help you to Avoid Unemployment Depression

Two of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. For many, jobs aren’t just a way to earn a living, they’re also critical pieces of our lives. Losing them can thus have multiple effects on our personal well beings besides just the loss of income. It’s important to understand how to fall in depression. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips that will Help you to Avoid Unemployment Depression.

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If you are out of work then you will know how frustrating this can be. You may feel as though your life has been turned upside down and that there is no possible way for you to get out of the rut you are in. This is not the case at all, and when you are able to refocus your attitude, you’ll soon find that you are able to come back bigger and stronger.

Step Back

Nobody likes losing their job. If you are unemployed then you should never look at yourself as a failure. Instead, think of your time off as a mini vacation. You could probably do with the rest anyway. Use the first few days to catch up on some rest, watch a few movies or even finish the DIY project you have going on in the garage. As long as you are doing something meaningful and enjoying your time then you are helping to put yourself in a good place.

Don’t get too Comfortable

When you’ve relaxed for a few days, it is time for you to start turning things around. Use your time wisely and get up at the same time every day. It also helps to prepare yourself for the job that you want as well. This could include taking a training course, or even going through your CV so you can add any new skills. There are plenty of services that can help you to craft the perfect CV, and when you use them, you will soon find that it is easier than ever for you to make yourself appear friendly and professional.

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What you’re Feeling is Normal

Losing your job can feel like losing a loved one. A lot of people go through the grieving process when they become unemployed, and this is completely normal. If you want to help yourself then you need to let it happen. When you’ve worked through the emotions, you can then pick up the pieces and move on. Sometimes you’ll need to push yourself more than others if depression is holding you back, but you need to know that what you’re going through right now won’t last forever and that better times are just around the corner. If you lost your job as the result of personal injury, then it’s well worth contacting https://www.bellevuetrialattorney.com/.

Speak with Friends and Family

A lot of people experience a high amount of guilt when they lose their job. They feel as though they should isolate themselves and they also feel as though they shouldn’t talk to their family or friends about it too. This should never be the case, and at the end of the day, you need a support network now more than ever.

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Network

Another thing that you can do is network with other people. When you do, you can then find out if there are any other opportunities in your local area and you can even chat with people who are in the same industry as you. This will help you to broaden your horizons, and it will give you a more positive outlook in the future.

You’ve Lost Your Job- What Happens Next?

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and a key focus is Career Discussions. Most everyone will experience the loss of a job for one reason or another. If you’re fortunate, you will receive a timely warning so that you can prepare for the loss of income. Some people aren’t so lucky and the loss is sudden. In either case it’s important to know what to do in of a job loss. The following contributed post is entitled, You’ve Lost Your Job- What Happens Next?

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Losing your job is up there with one of the most stressful life events a person can go through. In an instant, everything is at risk- your home, your car, your credit score where you can quickly fall into debt. There’s a hugely emotional side of things where you might be wondering how you’re going to look after your family and pets, not to mention a loss of identity. Our jobs are more than just jobs, they’re part of who we are. And so losing that, your security blanket, it’s a difficult pill to swallow. If you’ve found yourself in this position, perhaps due to redundancies in the company or them going into administration, or maybe due to a fault of your own, here’s what you need to do next.

Claim any money you’re entitled to
Have you had to leave your job because you got injured? If it’s someone else’s fault then you might be entitled to compensation, make sure you’re getting what you’re owed. For example, if you were hurt while riding your motorbike then a lawyer like https://www.braininjurylawofseattle.com/seattle-truck-accident-lawyer/ would work your case for you, if it was at work then you’d have to go down the relevant channels. This money can help you with your recovery and can be a lifesaver while you’re out of work. While you don’t have a job, you may also be entitled to help from the government. See if there are any welfare or benefits you can claim to cover your basic costs and keep you going while you find something new.

Take a temporary job
Finding another job can be a lengthy process. Depending on the career you’re in and the job roles you’re going for, it can take time for a position to come up, the employer to go through CVs, call people in for interviews and eventually start. You may also get rejected a number of times along the way. For this reason, it can be worth taking a temporary job– any job you can get in the meantime. As the saying goes, it’s easier to find work when you’re in work. It might not be what you want to be doing or a long term job for you but any source of regular income is better than none. Whether it’s delivering pizzas, working in retail or cleaning, see if there’s anything available right now that you can take.

Create new sources of income
Going forward, it’s so worth building additional sources of income so you’re financially protected if you ever lose your job again in the future. Establish and monetise a blog, build up a good reputation as a freelancer or start a home business. These things will take time to get going, but you could run them alongside your new job when you finally get to work. It’s extra money for now, and if you need them in the future it’s a source of income you can rely on.

Follow Your Dreams: How To Jump Into An Into A Tech Job (With No Experience)

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Technology. With every passing year, new technologies are emerging and along with them the need for individuals who have backgrounds in the Information Technology (IT) fields. If this field particularly intrigues you, it will be important for you to know how to get in. The following contributed post is entitled, Follow Your Dreams: How To Jump Into An Into A Tech Job (With No Experience).

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Breaking into the tech industry can be a daunting task. Fiercely competitive and outrageously ambitious, it can seem like an insurmountable barrier to entry especially if you don’t have the relevant credentials. However, one of the great things about the industry is that although Here, we’ve outlined some key components for you to land your dream job digital IT.

Get Some Experience

Tech is a notoriously difficult industry to break into without the relevant experience. The top technology companies often want to see that as well as being a great personality fit, that you’ve taken the time to immerse yourself in the culture and honed your skills to ensure that you’re a perfect fit for your desired role. Look to cut your teeth on small entry-level projects that don’t take much investment and can easily fit around your lifestyle. Upload some examples of your work to freelancing sites such as Fivver, or Upwork to fine-tune your skills and get a grasp of the ins and outs of your role without too much commitment. It also gives you a chance to put yourself forward for a variety of projects and therefore allowing your skills to be even more well-rounded, which is exactly what many tech companies are looking for.

Time To Study

Sometimes, though it’s worth noting that smaller experiences may just not be enough to land you that dream tech job. Jobs in tech have stringent entry requirements, and many recruiters may not even consider your resume if you do not have the relevant qualifications or degree required for the position. Browse job specs and job boards liked Linkedin to get a rough idea of the minimum bar of entry and use that to define your starting point. That being said, going back to college may just not be a feasible option for you. If that’s the case you may want to look into taking on an apprenticeship. IT apprenticeships can be a great way to get hands-on technical training and at the end of it, you’ll come away with a recognised qualification that is bound to open some more doors.

Stand Out On Your Resume

Once you feel confident enough to apply for your dream role, it’s time to make sure that your CV stands up to scrutiny. Make sure that you highlight anything that may be relevant to recruiters, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be. Be candid in your cover letter and let your future employer know why you’re passionate about tech and how you can now prove it with all the smaller projects and courses you have invested in. Don’t get called back for a second interview? Don’t give up. Keep working on extra projects and work experiences, to really beef up your CV.

Breaking Away From The Nine To Five Grind

A key focus of my blog is Career Discussions. Something most employees face is deciding whether or not to leave their day job. This can come from outgrowing their current position or just wanting to start his or her own enterprise. There are several options to leaving your nine to five. The following contributed post is entitled, Breaking Away From The Nine To Five Grind.

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Everyone reaches a point in their life when they question their purpose and impact in a professional capacity. The career that you once adored and ran into with open arms, now appears dull, boring and monotonous. The thirst for change can sometimes feel all-consuming, and at other times you wonder if it is just a whim. The lure of something new and exciting can be terrifying. The idea of giving up a steady wage, a decent job and an unchallenging work environment is scary. However, often the most frightening decisions turn out to be the best ones we ever make. Consider where you want to be this time next year and work out whether you want to break away from the nine to five grind.

Become Self Employed

Many people choose to make a break from the traditional nine to five job in an effort to gain more control over their working hours, job remit and work location. If you have had an office job for the past decade and you have spent eight hours a day with a photocopier, a laptop and Janice, the head of marketing for company, you might want to broaden your horizons.

Becoming self employed needn’t mean setting up your own business, although if you do have an entrepreneurial side, you may fancy the challenge. Instead, consider taking up a trade. You could train to become a plumber, undertake a HVAC training programme and qualify to become air conditioning engineer, or enroll in a course to become an electrician. These trades are ideal to empower you to become self employed. You dictate your working hours, where you work, the jobs you do and how much you charge. Gain a good reputation and you will never be out of work.

Launch A Startup

If you have a book full of contacts that you have taken with you, you may be keen to set yourself up as a new startup within the industry sector that you have experience in. This will enable you to hit the ground running as you launch your very own business entity. You can keep overheads low by working from home, you can focus your efforts on networking, conducting market research and formulating your business vision, and you can provide an excellent service or product having learned the ropes in your previous role. Being your own boss and listing entrepreneur as your profession is new, exciting and provides you with the much needed challenge that you yearn for.

Travel

Perhaps the break that you need from your nine to five grind isn’t a permanent one. A change really can be as good as a rest. Instead of resigning from your current job, why don’t you take a sabbatical for three weeks, three months or even a year? You can then choose to go overseas, travel and see the world. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve always wanted to embark on a trek across the outback of Australia, complete the Inca Trail or see the temples of Japan, now might be the time to do it. Traveling can open your eyes to new wonders and leave you feeling refreshed and reinvigorated on your return to work.

Breaking away from the nine to five grind could be just what you need to improve your mood, health and happiness.

How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. In some instances losing our jobs is in our control and in other instances, it is beyond our control. In either case, it’s important to think about what you would do should such a circumstance arise. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

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The world of work has changed dramatically. In our grandparents and parents eras, you’d often get a job after leaving school or university and work that job until you retired. Industry and businesses tended to be long lasting, and job roles in general were much more secure. These days, things change quickly. The speed that technology advances means that companies have to adapt, and the roles that exist within them change to match. Companies have higher rates of failure for this reason, and so none of our jobs are quite as safe as we’d like to think. No one likes to think about being made unemployed, but if your company goes under, you get made redundant or you get sick or injured then it’s something you’ll have to face. ‘Hope for the best but plan for the worst’ is a good mindset to have here, here’s what you can do to get yourself in the best position if this were to happen.

Save and stockpile
Having money saved in general is no bad thing. Often in life, big expenses will crop up from time to time, and if you have a ‘buffer’ it can prevent a situation from becoming a lot more stressful. Aim to have at least three months of rent/ mortgage, bills and other costs set aside in the bank. That way, if you do lose your job you have everything covered for a few months while you find something else. A new job won’t always come right away, so by having this money set aside you don’t risk falling into debt or arrears or even losing your home. Another thing you could do is stockpile long lasting food items, toiletries, cleaning products and other home essentials. Fill up your pantry with staple items- tins, jars, dried grains, herbs and spices and you have a number of meals you can make if you’re short on cash for a while. Fill a cupboard upstairs with kitchen and toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, soap and cleaning essentials for the home. At least that way you don’t have to struggle during leaner times, particularly if you end up losing your job. You don’t need to go mad and stock up as if the zombie apocalypse is imminent. But grab a few essentials when they’re on sale and store them away, you might be glad of it one day.

Get insured
Having health, dental, home, pet and other kinds of insurances means you’re not left out of pocket if the worst were to happen. Insurance costs might seem like something you can cut out of your budget if you’ve recently lost your job, but it’s now you need them more than ever. If you do need to make a claim you’ll be so glad you had them in place.

Have an alternate source of income
Having a side hustle, a way to earn some extra cash (even better if it’s from home!) can make your situation a little easier if you lose your main source of income. Whether it’s from freelancing, blogging, a Youtube channel or a home business, you at least have some cash flow coming in and can cover your basic costs. It can take some time to get a side hustle established to the point that it’s earning regular money, so don’t wait until you’re at the point that you really need it. Start today, work it in your spare time and use it as a way to boost your monthly income. That way, it’s there if you need to rely on it later down the line.

Improve your CV
Improving your CV means that if you do lose your job, you’ll find it easier to get something else. Don’t just rely on the experience from your current role, there’s plenty more you can do. Why not do an online course in a subject that’s linked to your career path. You can study online, from home in your spare time so it doesn’t have to be a huge commitment. You could take up some voluntary work, or even start a hobby that would look good to employers. For example, if your chosen career requires patience and logic you could start at a chess club. If if requires teamwork, a team sport would look impressive.

Ensure you’re claiming the money you’re entitled to
There are various benefit and welfare schemes out there, make sure that you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to. There are certain benefits that you don’t need to be out of work to claim, for example military spouse benefits and child benefit that you get regardless if you’re entitled. But sickness, disability and job seeking benefits could all apply to you depending on the reason you’re out of work. Be sure to check and claim the money that’s owed to you.

How would you cope if you lost your job tomorrow? Do you have any systems in place that would make the process easier?

Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of success and a key area of focuse is Career Discussions. At some point or another, most of us have to look for jobs. In addition to having the appropriate qualifications, its also important to make your searches as simple as possible. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search.

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When you’re looking for a new job, there is no point in applying for roles that you are unlikely to get. There is no point in trawling job sites that don’t contain the positions you are looking for. There’s no point filling out endless application forms for a job that, considering who you are as a person, are never going to fulfil you.

Instead, you need to narrow down your job search, so you don’t a) waste time with applications and interviews for jobs you aren’t suited to, and b) don’t end up in a position that you are likely to quit in several months time.

To narrow down your job search…

Think about the kind of jobs that would motivate you. What kind of job will get you out of bed in the morning? What kind of job would you enjoy doing? It might be a job that allows you to follow your passions. Or it might be a role in a career where you can help others. Whatever it is, think about the jobs that will excite you, look at the appropriate job sites or do a Google search for companies near you, get the qualifications needed, and then start applying.

Think about the skills you possess. When you know what your skills are, you will then be able to target those vocations and industries that you know you are suited for. So, if you have a head for numbers, you may be eligible for accounting jobs. Should you have a flair for cooking, you might want to consider a career in catering. You may have picked up skills in both your personal life and work life, so list them, and consider the types of jobs you could apply to. You might need to get extra qualifications, but as many jobs offer these as part of in-job training, you might still apply if you know you have skills particular employers will be interested in.

Think about your current position. If you are currently happy in your career but looking for advancement, you might want to focus your job search on those roles that will advance rather than downgrade your career. There might be roles within other companies in your chosen industry that are more senior than your current position, so rather than trawling the job pages, why not directly approach these other businesses? Or network with others at industry meetings and conferences, as after all, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know! You might also reach out on social media, using LinkedIn to network with other professionals within your industry.

Think about your lifestyle. Do you have a family to consider? Do you want a better work-life balance? If either of these things is true, you might want to look for jobs that are closer to home. You might want to target part-time rather than full-time positions. And you might want to look for those jobs that will give you greater flexibility for your lifestyle. Narrow down your job search, and look for those roles that will help you meet both your personal and work goals.

Don’t waste time trawling job sites that don’t contain what you’re looking for. Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that are above or below your pay grade. And don’t waste your time sitting in interviews for jobs you don’t want or are not really eligible for. Using the tips in this article, save time by narrowing down your job search, and move into those positions that are better suited to you.